A Nation Of Jonathan Cohns

September 27, 2010

Republicans have convinced themselves that they won the battle for public opinion during the health care fight. But yet another poll shows that a huge source of public discontent lies in the belief that the Affordable Care Act did not go far enough:

President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has divided the nation, and Republicans believe their call for repeal will help them win elections in November. But the picture's not that clear cut.

A new AP poll finds that Americans who think the law should have done more outnumber those who think the government should stay out of health care by 2-to-1.

This is not to say that a more left-wing law would have attracted more public support, let alone passed through the Senate. Very few people understand the details of the law anyway. The extended, ugly process, with opponents decrying the bill in apocolyptic terms and supporters offering measured praise, was bound to turn off the public. The Democrats staked out the center of the health care debate, but even that is not a terribly safe place to be.